Amateur-built AA5A accident near Phoenix, Arizona, June 29, 1982
On June 29, 1982 at about 6:14 pm local time, a amateur-built AA5A, registered N26668, was destroyed in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 1982 · about 6:14 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA5A
- Registration
- N26668 · no longer on the register · serial AA5A-0627
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING AT AN ALTITUDE OF 200 TO 300 FEET AGL. WITNESSES DESCRIBE A BANK TO THE LEFT WHICH STEEPENED UNTIL THE WINGS WERE PERPENDICULAR TO THE GROUND. THE ACFT THEN MADE A NEAR VERTICAL DESCENT INTO THE GROUND.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 112 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 65 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,330 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2G (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SDL Scottsdale AZ at 11:04 am
- Destination: SDL Scottsdale AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 207°F (97°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 am from PHX, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.